


After the Storm

by wankernumber9



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 18:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4636215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wankernumber9/pseuds/wankernumber9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small vignette that could (hopefully) take place post Episode 5, when everyone is okay and healing. Spoilers for events in Episode 4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic in a long, long while. There is more to come in this fandom. Enjoy!

After the storm and the capture of Mark Jefferson, one perfectly normal week passed, then two. Within a month, the school reopened under new administration, and surprisingly, most students had even returned to class.  
  
The air in Arcadia Bay was uneasy, but calm.  
  
Except, of course, for everything in the immediate vicinity of Chloe Price.  
  
Max leaned against the brick wall outside her dorm building, smiling up into the sunlight as she listened to Chloe scrabble across the top of the wall toward the trees, swearing at the squirrel who had gotten a hold of her hat.  
  
"Come back here, you rabid little fucker. I _will_ turn you into the world's smallest area rug..."  
  
Samuel approached gingerly, and coughed to get Max's attention. "Apologies for disturbing you, young Max. Is your friend all right?"  
  
"She's fine," Max said, perfectly serene as Chloe finally scared the critter into dropping her hat, then skipped back along the wall to perch on the edge.  
  
"Did you get your photo?" Chloe demanded, as she huffed and lit a cigarette. "'Cause I'm sure that was all fucking hilarious, and should totally have been captured for posterity."  
  
Max waved a polaroid at her with a smirk.  
  
"I do worry that the squirrels have gotten a little too comfortable with us humans," Samuel murmured, as he looked up at Chloe. "I don't think I've ever seen them steal headwear before."  
  
"They aren't usually goaded into it by hipsters wielding laser pointers," Chloe grumbled.  
  
"Ah," Samuel replied, as if that explained everything. "Well, I'm glad to see you are both doing all right after all your adventures."  
  
"Yeah, shitloads of therapy on the Prescott dime'll do that for ya," Chloe said.  
  
Max reached up and patted Chloe's boot as it dangled near her head. "We're all gonna be just fine," she declared, with utter confidence.  
  
Samuel studied her for a moment, and yet again she had that eerie feeling that he knew far more than he let on. He might have wanted to say more, but the fuss of an approaching throng of teenagers dissuaded him. He dipped his head and hobbled away as quickly as possible.  
  
First through the gate were a few of the jocks, who each gave Max their customary bro-tastic nods before heading off for their usual pregame dinner.  
  
Next was Warren, trailed by an ever-patient Brooke.  
  
"Max!" he cried, as he trotted over. He eyed Chloe's limbs dangling from the wall with uncertainty, and wisely decided to avoid offering a hug. "We're heading to the drive-in tonight, since we got rained out last time. Wanna come?"  
  
"Nah, I'm good," Max said. "You and Brooke go have a great time." She offered a smile to Brooke, who looked slightly less put out in return.  
  
"You sure?" Warren pressed. "Your friend could come too," he added, as a tentative afterthought.  
  
"I'm sure," Max said with a grin. "I've got plans. But thanks."  
  
He shrugged and jogged away to catch up with Brooke.  
  
Chloe scowled and took a drag off her cigarette. "You have plans?"  
  
Max turned to squint up at her. "Yes, and so do you."  
  
Chloe lifted an eyebrow, the only concession she'd give to being intrigued. "Yeah?"  
  
"You're taking me to the drive-in," Max replied, with a smug look.  
  
"Huh? Dude, we could watch a movie anywhere. You only go to a drive-in to hook up in public."  
  
Max folded her arms and waited.  
  
"Which of course begs the question about his little tagalong friend, there. I could see why Waldo would be trying to steam up the windows on his shitmobile with _you_ , but he doesn't have near enough game to score two chicks at once. And no one just goes to one of those things to 'watch a movie.'" She stubbed out her cigarette and launched herself down from her perch on the wall. "We could just go to a regular theater if you want..."  
  
They wandered out to the front of the school, with Max giving Chloe a fond look while she prattled on about the virtues of regular, non-drive-in movies, especially ones that didn't involve potential hooking up with guys named Wiffle. Or Wumpus. Or whatever that dude's name was. And who the hell names their kid that, anyway?  
  
Max paused at the fountain in front of the school, gave Chloe just enough time to catch her breath before she launched into yet another diatribe against the horrors of movies without surround sound, grabbed her by the collar, yanked her closer, and kissed her. It wasn't the most suave or delicate approach, but it finally got Chloe to shut the hell up.  
  
When she pulled away, Chloe blinked at her. "Dude?" she managed to say after a moment.  
  
"Yeah," Max answered.  
  
"When are you gonna rewind?"  
  
"Wasn't planning on it," Max admitted.  
  
Chloe wasn't sure what to do with that, so she just stayed there, leaning into Max's personal space, very aware of the scent of her hair, and the faint breeze that had kicked up against the bare skin on her arms, and the fact that Max had totally planned to have this very personal moment in a very public place. "You... I. We?" she stammered.  
  
"Me, you, us," Max confirmed.   
  
Ever so slowly, Chloe's face transformed, shedding her customary cynicism and anger in layers, until she was actually, truly smiling.  
  
It was the most beautiful thing Max had ever seen.  
  
Chloe stepped in closer, lifting one hand to Max's waist, the other to her cheek, and leaned in to claim a proper, gentle, impossibly soft kiss.  
  
With proper, gentle, entirely overdue tongue.  
  
Max surged into her embrace, fisting her hands into Chloe's jacket and smiling blissfully against her friend's lips.  
  
"Jesus, Caulfield. Gratuitous acts of public lesbianism are _so_ middle school," declared a decidedly snippy Victoria Chase as she trotted down the school's front steps.  
  
Max and Chloe lifted their hands in concert to flip Victoria off, but didn't break their contact.  
  
Victoria huffed, then glared over her shoulder when she heard Kate giggle behind her.  
  
When they finally parted, Max was just a little breathless, Chloe was just a little flushed, and the flock of skaters gathered at the curb burst into spontaneous applause.  
  
Chloe ducked her head, blushing deeper. "Shit," she muttered. Max only laughed, and patted Chloe's side.  
  
"Pick me up at eight," she said, then turned to head back to the dorms. Kate bounced down the steps to grab her arm, and they chattered happily as they wandered away together.  
  
Chloe watched them go, then scowled up at Victoria, still standing in haughty, well-dressed judgement.  
  
"What?" Chloe asked with a sneer.  
  
"Don't hurt her," Victoria said, then descended to follow her dormmates.  
  
Chloe threw out her hands, gesturing in frustration to no one in particular. "I won't," she called. She rubbed the back of her neck and breathed deeply to settle the wobble in her insides. "I won't," she promised quietly.  
  
She spun on her heel to head off to the parking lot, wondering what the hell she was gonna wear for their date - _holy shit, they had a date_ \- that evening.  
  
Max's earlier declaration was ringing in her head. _We're all gonna be just fine._  
  
Somehow, today, she actually managed to believe it.  
  
She didn't bother to fight the urge to grin like an idiot the entire drive home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
